ACL compiles a daily media monitoring service of stories of interest to the Christian constituency relating to children, family, drugs and alcohol, marriage, human rights, religious freedom etc. Visit the ACL’s website each day to see what’s of interest in the news. Please note that selection of the articles does not represent ACL endorsement of the content.

Abortion promises relief … that for around $500, your worries and fears will go away with a 15-minute surgery. It is sold and encouraged by many as the “responsible” solution. That may be the promise before an abortion. But afterwards, a woman’s face tells a very different story. That’s why it is so important that we stand vigil — before the abortion, to be a sign of hope … and after the abortion, to represent our Lord’s mercy.

A group of leading women's doctors has accused a GP and his supporters of running a campaign against Victoria's abortion laws. The GP, Catholic pro-life doctor Mark Hobart, does not want to refer women who want abortions to another doctor, which he is required to do under the law.

To stop the latest of the Brave New World movements, we need a cacophony of resistance. Luckily, it is not just pro-lifers that are sounding the alarm about three-parent IVF, also called mitochondrial replacement (MR). People from all sides are voicing their concerns about the ethics and safety of this technique where a donor egg’s nucleus is removed and replaced with the nucleus of a woman with mitochondrial disease. That genetically-engineered egg is then fertilized with sperm creating an embryo that has genetic material from three persons, the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from the donor, and nuclear DNA contributed by the parents.

When a cause is incorrectly attributed to a misfortune, we forgo the opportunity to learn, we forgo the chance to plan so that we can avoid making the same mistakes into the future. In the wake of the February 2009 Victorian bushfires, a book by Roger Franklin,Inferno, The Day Victoria Burned, explains that we are losing ground when it comes to managing fire. This may have a lot to do with willfully ignoring the well-documented mistakes of the past, in favor of popular politics.

The Abbott government says it is committed to opposing any mining in Antarctica amid warnings the southern continent could be facing a rampant increase in mineral exploitation. Environment Minister Greg Hunt said it was critical Australia maintained its strong presence in the region as he unveiled the terms of reference for a 20-year Antarctic strategic plan.

There are a few places in the world where doctors can not only help patients live a better life, but can also help them end it. Euthanasia, or physician assisted suicide, has been legal in Belgium and the Netherlands for ten years, and has also been legalized in Luxembourg and four states in the U.S.

Syria’s war has destroyed livelihoods and collapsed the economy, leaving more than half the country’s population in poverty, according to a report commissioned by UN agencies this month. Some 115,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since the war broke out in 2011, and the report warned that the economic devastation wrought by the conflict could be felt for years to come.

Tony Abbott's government will abolish the Prime Minister's Council on Homelessness set up by Labor and overhaul strategy to reduce administration so providers can invest more on the needy. Some homeless service providers have been informed by the government the special council will be replaced by a new advisory group that also will deliver advice more broadly on housing issues.

After the June decisions of the US Supreme Court on same sex marriage, I restated in July 2013 my support for civil unions. Conceding that neither side of the debate was much interested in that outcome, I said, 'We can probably no longer draw a line between civil unions and same sex marriage. That will be the long term consequence of last month's US Supreme Court decisions which will impact much further west than California.'

Tasmanian Legislative Councillors will today vote on a bid to revive debate on a same sex marriage bill. The bill to allow same sex couples to marry in the state was narrowly defeated in the Upper House last year. Independent MLC Ruth Forrest wants the debate revisited.

David Cameron turned down a gay magazine’s award ceremony because he knows his push to redefine marriage is unpopular, a columnist has said. Andrew Pierce said instead of going to the Attitude magazine party to collect a Politician of the Year Award the Prime Minister declined the invitation – saying he was too busy. But Mr Cameron didn’t send another senior Conservative to accept the award, which “suggests he is only too aware” of how unpopular his same-sex marriage policy is.

The recent round of economic statistics continue to highlight the fact that the Tasmanian economy is in trouble. The young are moving away, and retiring sea-changers are arriving. More than 60 per cent of our population depend on the government, either for employment or support.

Tony Abbott is riding a post-election honeymoon high, with nearly half of voters preferring him as prime minister and support for Labor retreating to levels last seen during the party's June leadership crisis. In the first Newspoll since the September 7 election, the Prime Minister has recorded his best net satisfaction rating since he took over as Liberal leader in December 2009.

De Jun "Kevin" Zheng - accused of being an enforcer for an international sex slavery syndicate - claimed to be working at a South Melbourne brothel as a driver for prostitutes when he crossed paths with Abraham Papo. Mr Zheng, 35, also known as Fatty or Fat Boy, bashed Mr Papo, 27, to death with a wheel brace in his car near what was then called Madam Leona's brothel in York Street in February 2009.

The Australian war memorial secretly decided during the election campaign to delete the iconic words “Known Unto God” from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and replace them with quotes from Paul Keating. But after complaints to the Abbott government, the original words will be retained. As a compromise, a bronze plaque containing quotes from a 1993 speech by Mr Keating will be placed at the entrance of the tomb.

Australian Jewry is compelled to spend large sums for its security because of the ever-present possibility of an anti-Semitic attack such as the one committed Saturday. Eight or so young men shouting anti-Semitics epithets viciously attacked four men and a woman – visibly Jewish – as they returned home from a Shabbat evening meal in Bondi Beach, Australia, this weekend. The Jewish group sustained injuries that include a fractured skull, facial fractures, a broken nose, cuts and bruising.

Four men aged 66, 48, 39, 27, and a 62-year-old woman were taken to hospital after a melee broke out on Blair Street in Bondi early on Saturday morning. Police said they had received reports the group had walked past eight men who made anti-Semitic comments towards them. Two 17-year-old youths and a 23-year-old man have been charged over the matter.

The commander of Queensland's anti-bikie taskforce has conceded tough new
laws may just move problems associated with criminal motorcycle gangs elsewhere. Detective Inspector Mick Niland says while bikies are closing chapters in Queensland, it appears they are yet to establish new ones interstate. However, the Taskforce Maxima commander can't guarantee the Sunshine State's bikie crackdown won't move the problem to other parts of Australia.

A Christian woman from Oklahoma recently stunned a man who stole her wallet after she offered to pay for his groceries. The situation happened earlier this month when Jessica Eaves, who serves as an outreach leader at First Christian Church of Guthrie, realized that her wallet was suddenly missing.